Devouring Inferno
by AzureFlameXIIIGod
Summary: Sora Ookami is a bodyguard for an important family in the Far East. He loves his job, so much he asks how to combat the aragami without being a Gods Eater! How is he able to? With an aragami bullet hybrid. Will he become a Gods eater to further protect his objective: the daughter of the family? Or die facing an aragami years before he can become one? OCxOc, OCxAlisa, OcxKanon.
1. Prologue Part 1: The Young Bodyguard

_I don't own Gods Eater Burst, its characters etc, except my original characters I created in game. Namco Bandai and D3 publisher owns the game and its storyline. _

_My First fic please review. _

**Prologue Part 1: The Young Bodyguard: Sora Ookami**

**May 8, 2066 **

I woke up by a very unusual form clinging to me. It shivered under my blanket in this cold, and merciless morning. This strong cling was due to a recurring nightmare. If it weren't for the aragami terrorizing me, and the people of the Far East arcology, I wouldn't know the cause. I lifted the blanket and the mystery person was milady, Yumi Satonaka. Her sleeping form, no matter how adorable, could not vanquish my annoyance to this spectacle. She wore her white nightgown all loosely, her face showed an open mouth that drooled (nightmare is gone?), and she wore her white beanie covering her ears in this 10-degree weather.

I got out of bed as quietly as possible to allow her more sleep. I walked the long hallway to the bathroom to freshen up, and get ready for my duties as milady's bodyguard. The Satonakas are a wealthy family that fund the Far East Fenrir branch, and as thanks, the Far East, sent materials helpful to combat against the ever-growing stronger aragami. Gods eaters also roam about the area on patrol. One Gods eater I know by heart is the leader of the Defense Unit: Tatsumi O'mori. I secretly trained under his guidance on countering the aragami, and brought about a combination of oracle cells and explosives. This earned my name on the streets as "Inferno." This might be the cause of my fiery red hair, and red vest that is a uniform for the servants of the Satonakas. But enough of that, I better wake milady.

As I put my uniform red vest, and red battle pants, I grabbed my katana, and my holster of makeshift explosives. After that, I headed to my room once more to wake milady up. Not a single muscle moved since I left the room, her nightmare must've been lost in the wind because now, only a smile replaced her terror.

"It's been five years." I thought to myself. Five years her mother passed away because of an aragami attack. She sacrificed herself to save her daughter: the cause of her nightmares. Milady looks very much like her mother, and in personality: headstrong and kind.

She stirred, and I used that chance to wake milady.

"Lady Yumi, wake up. It's already 11:00. Breakfast passed." I told with a very gentle tone. The last sentence was the trigger, and she shot up from my bed, and ran to the dining room. She yelled as she ran.

"SORA OOKAMI! HOW DARE YOU TO FORGET ABOUT BREAKFAST. HURRY UP AND MAKE ME SOMETHING!"

I chuckled silently, and I followed soon after, meal in hand prepared for both father and daughter. When milady reached the dining room, she was furious because of my trickery. Her father, Asuma, chuckled at my little prank. Heck, everyone was letting out a silent snicker as I place breakfast on the table: omelets and rationed sushi.

After breakfast, Asuma-san needed a word with me. I complied with great enthusiasm.

"I'll be out of the Far East for a while. Business and such. You know the drill. Take care of my daughter well. Okay?"

"Of course Asuma-dono, I always do that. It's my job to protect her after all." I responded accordingly. He seemed to laugh for reasons that went over my head.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I spoke with Tatsumi-kun. Seems like your training is going well?" He asked with great interest.

"Yes. I'm learning a lot about combating the aragami."

"Hm…tell me…are you interested in becoming a Gods eater?" He asked without warning. I know I was gonna get this question sooner or later, but not THIS soon. I mean I've been training for only a month now. But I had to give an answer, so I answered with my most determined face.

"Yes Asuma-dono. I wish to be a Gods eater, but I will do so when your daughter reaches 15-years-old."

"I see. Well I shall consider your wishes, but do realize that becoming a Gods eater, you add more responsibility on your shoulder young man."

" I do realize that, and I don't wish to change my decision."

"Very well…carry on then Sora-kun." He said without force. And I left the dining room with milady.

**XxXxXx**

We went outside looking for her friend Nozomi Fujiki, another happy child, with a happy family. We searched for a while at the park, the market, and finally at the little lake near the wall. Kota, Nozomi's brother, was there as well happy to see us.

"Hey Sora, sup? Want some gum?" He asked immediately.

"Sure, chuck it up." I said. He threw the piece with great precision, and I caught it with ease. I unwrapped it and happily chewed it.

Yumi ran to Nozomi and played with the fish at the lake. I walked next to Kota.

"Anything new?" he asked.

"Boss asked if I wanted to be a GE."

"Seriously?!" really, why would he be surprised? He knows how much I want to protect Yumi.

"So you're really going for it eh?" he mumbled.

"Hey, I said AFTER Yumi becomes fifteen."

"Five years? Not a bad idea really. But being a bodyguard must be a hassle."

"Not really." And as if an act of god's wrath, the aragami wall in front of us exploded, and as the dust and rubble cleared, the form of a large feline form emerged. A shriek echoed from the hole. The alarms blared without hint of stopping. I called Tastumi on speed dial.

"Yo…Tatsumi, the Vajra, yep, it staring at us. It's by the lake. Yep see ya."

Kota was shocked. I smacked him to snap him out of it. I ordered him to get the girls and leave while I stalled for time. He didn't hesitate and did what I asked.

"So much for becoming a Gods eater, but I'll still have my job as a bodyguard." I mumbled to myself.

"Come at me you sonnuva bitch!" It roared in response, and lowered its body preparing to pounce. Turns out it wasn't. It instead shot a ball of lightning. I rolled to the right, and realized I was partly right about my prediction. It pounced AFTER the lightning shot. Luckily, I rolled far from the place where the Vajra landed, and its face showed disbelief that a normal human evaded two of its attacks.

"How's that for speed? Damn cat get out of this place before I Really hurt you!" I yelled at it, but it caused what seems to be a snicker from the monster. Really now…first Kota, now an aragami thinks I can't deal damage to it. I'll give it some pain then. I pulled out my gun and a bomb. (To clarify: the bomb is shaped like a transparent thermos with an aragami bullet inside it. But between the canister and the shell, a line of gasoline sits in place.)

I threw the bomb with great accuracy, and it landed on its face. It seemed surprised to see an object thrown at him; it gave a smirk. I returned the action as I shot the bomb in front of its face. The cylinder was soon engulfed in flames as it combined with the aragami bullet. The explosion's shockwave surged with a great wall of air as it brought the heat of burning magma in the air. Another thing: that pillar of fire reached half the aragami wall. Surely that got the attention of every Gods eater mobilizing to react.

**XxXxXx**

**Tatsumi POV**

The explosion could be heard from the other side of the branch, but my team and me were already a mile from the explosion, and I must say that my apprentice makes use of those bullets VERY well. I stared at the smoke rising with great interest.

"How ya holding up over there Sora?" I mumbled to myself.

"No distractions now Tatsumi! We gotta hurry over or your so called apprentice will die." Yelled Brendan. No complaints from me. Hang on wolfie. We ran as more and more explosions of various volumes and sizes appeared. I just used the explosions as motivation to run even faster as more and more people slowly followed to see the kid fight an aragami.

**XxXxXx**

**Sora POV**

"Only…fifteen left." I huffed. Fighting aragami takes a lot out of you. It's a good thing that GEs get superhuman enhancements with those armlets. I really needed a breather. The Vajra appeared in front of me I couldn't react fast enough, but I managed to unsheathe my blade to parry the swipe. The armor was too sturdy for my blade, and the blade shook from the bumps of the monster's front legs. I overestimated my blade because it shattered from that parry; it then spiraled out of my hands, and it impaled itself to the ground. Well…there goes my paycheck. I noticed a big opening, and it gaped in front of me.

"Bad time to be roaring damn cat!" I told it as I shoved five bombs in its mouth. It choked and moved erratically.

"Quit moving!" It did just so for a second, an opportunity not wasted if I say so myself. Its face was covered in smoke and flames as a flash of white and red blinded me. It fell down. The feline was covered in burns and dents from face to legs. Small fires danced on its skin, and I threw ten of my bombs (my best ones mind you) at it as a last stand. I shot one and the rest exploded in a chain, causing a humongous ball of flames to erupt. It caused the aragami to fly backwards from the force, and it effectively killed it. Don't think only the Vajra was affected by the explosion. In fact, I flew 30ft from the lake. My body was sore, exhausted, etc. I had enough aragami hunting for now.

**XxXxXx**

**Tatsumi POV**

I couldn't believe my eyes, the Vajra, was dead, and its killer was unconscious.

I hurried to his stiff body, checking for a pulse. Alive…and well.

"Kanon! Get him treated NOW!" I ordered obviously worried bout' my student.

"Roger"

"Really…your kid's gonna send us into unemployed if this keeps going." Shun said.

"Whatever, we need to seal the wall, grab the core."

"Already on it. Worry about him instead." Ordered Brendan.

"How is he?" I asked Kanon.

"With a face like this, he's more than fine." Kanon replied with a smile. "He'll be a great addition to Fenrir."

I gave a big sigh of relief as I reached for Sora's phone. I looked for a "Kota" in the contacts and called the number.

"H-Hello?" his voice stammered.

"Kota I'm guessing?"

"Yes?"

"Sora's alright. Please tell the "princess" that."

"Understood." He hung up.

"Well Inferno, you just created a placeholder for yourself to become a Gods Eater."

_How was it? Please review. I'm unsure of this story yet, but the next chapter will contain a young Alisa to get the resonance scene out of the way._


	2. Prologue Part 2: Russian Roulette

**Prologue Part 2: Russian Roulette**

**Date: Unknown**

"Ah my head…make that my whole body." I groaned as I sat up on the bed. The Vajra was more than I can handle, but I managed to do so without major injuries. I heard footsteps running in the hallway, familiar ones. When the door opened, Kota, Nozomi, Tatsumi, Asuma-dono, and milady appeared. All had faces of happiness and worry.

Tatsumi came forward first congratulating me on my first kill. He did however dislike putting the Gods Eaters names down because I defeated the Vajra without being a Gods Eater. Asuma-dono said something similar but without the insulting the GEs part.

He also said that the trip was cancelled because he was worried about me (And obviously his daughter too). Apparently, there's live news feed on the helicopter he rode, and he recorded the news as soon as he saw the red of my hair.

_The following is the video:_

"We're heading to the broken wall, but there's a strange occurrence happening. Explosions show out of nowhere, and as you can see are too big for a normal aragami attack. Also the aragami being reported is a Vajra, an aragami that uses lightning. Unless the Vajra is hitting electric poles, there's no way it can produce flames of that magnitude." The female reporter said without showing great panic.

The pilot was silent for a while until…

"There! I see a-a teenager? A-a NORMAL teenager is fighting a Vajra?" the pilot was in utter disbelief, and the reporter shared it. She didn't stop reporting though.

"I can't believe it as well, but a normal person is actually fighting the aragami."

"Wait a sec. That uniform…that kid is a bodyguard of the Satonakas!" The pilot yelled with great surprise.

"The Satonakas? You mean THE Satonakas?"

"Yes lady! THE Satonakas. And judging by the hair, that kid is most likely Sora Ookami."

"Sora, you mean the one that holds the moniker of "Inferno"?" The reporter asked. Damn…my name and nickname reaches out to even the media? Kids must be really scared of me. The screen shows my barrage of explosions at the Vajra's face. The helicopter shook wildly for a bit.

"That is something we are NEVER getting close to." The pilot stated obviously. Next shows my parry of the swipe.

"That kid's most likely going to die." The cameraman pitched in. And then my forced "meal" to the Vajra happens causing another shake in the helicopter.

"Damn it I'm trying to get a good shot here!" The furious cameraman yelled.

"Quit complaining. This is as close as to new news as we are going to get!" shot back by the reporter. While they were arguing (for the lack of a better word) amongst each other, the helicopter shook again, the most violent one. The video shows a vanquished Vajra, and a flying body on the other side. My body.

"Holy crap that's a huge fireball!" The pilot exclaimed as surprise filled the helicopter.

"He…he just killed a Vajra." The cameraman responded with a surprised tone as well. "That's just way too crazy."

"You just saw it right here folks. A non-Gods Eater defeated an aragami. The impossible had just been achieved." The reporter lady said in a mumble. The recording ended.

"You were so cool Sora-nii." Nozomi happily stated. Kota agreed as well. The only one disappointed was lady Yumi. Her eyes were filled with tears and she held back a cry along with it.

"Such an idiot Sora…" she mumbled softly, "I thought you were dead!" This one she yelled.

"That's because I needed you to be safe."

"And the chance you could've died didn't pass through that head of yours? What would've happened if you were gone? Nobody would protect me!" More tears fall from her soft cheeks. I wiped it off with my finger. But there was something different. Lady Yumi seemed taller and more feminine at certain parts. Nozomi aged as well. Tatsumi and Kota barely changed; But Asuma-dono had a larger number of grays on his head. I had a guess, but I had to ask.

"What year is it?"

"2069." Tatsumi replied fairly quickly. Eh? Three years? WHAT?!

**XxXxXx**

**Yumi POV**

Sora didn't take the news well. His face stayed in a shocked position for a whole minute. It seems his mind broke from realizing his coma. The others were reluctant to say, but for Tatsumi-san to respond quickly was way beyond everyone's expectations. But Sora had to know sooner or later.

Dad then breaks the silence by saying that Sora needs rest. Sora quickly refuses.

"I've had three years of sleep. I've plenty of rest." He got out of bed, and just walked to his closet. Maybe closet was an understatement. The "closet" was an underground room filled with cylinders similar to the bombs before. The table in front of him was messy (yet another understatement). The table didn't look like a table until the soda cans, papers, welding equipment (I honestly could go on, but that's too much).

At the table lies an armored suitcase. He opened it and inside held numerous cylinders that must've been his bombs. He filled every pocket with those things, grabbed his gun and several ammo clips. Then he stopped. He was searching for something different now. He went into a panic, but Tastumi-san walked towards him and grabbed his shoulder. Only now did I notice what Sora was looking for. The object was Sora's beloved katana that was destroyed during his fight with the Vajra. The two talked for a while, but I didn't bother caring. But what I did care was if this place had been in the original blueprints. You can't just hide an underground hideout without someone else knowing.

"So…what are you doing right now exactly?" I asked. He stared at me for a couple of minutes, and then he came up with an answer.

"I really have no idea."

"How about going to Russia?" Asked dad. Sora raised an eyebrow.

"Why exactly?"

"Fenrir is experimenting on a new type of God Arc. The research is being based in the Russia branch."

"Okay, but why do you need to go?"

"To see what my contributions have created for God Arc tech." Dad answered like Sora should've known this.

"Kay."

**XxXxXx**

**Sora POV**

**Date: January 14, 2069**

The trip took too long. My joints are tired. My…yeah I'll stop complaining. No one wants to hear complaints. Another GE joined us, and he is a servant of the Satonaka family as well. His name was Ben Thompson. He was from an old country called The United States of America. He's a nice guy to be around. He's usually a joker, but his jokes are horrendous. I'll leave the terrible jokes out. He transferred here because of lost family that he never got to meet due to an aragami attack. He stayed to serve the family, and protect the Far East. He is known as "Big Bro" in our job. He looks like one too if you take into account his calming smile and his slicked-back hairstyle, giving him a noble, charming look.

-Russia Branch Helipad-

Well if Antarctica didn't sum it up into one word, I don't know what will. My whole body shook faster than a blender, and my teeth chattered faster than a metronome at its fastest tempo. Ben mocked me for my vulnerability.

"The irony is strong in you Inferno." He mused.

"I don't *sniff* know what y-Achoo mean."

We went inside. Ahh…warmth. Inside the building, the heat felt like summer. And like any summer in the past, there was a sea of people. Lab coats, GEs, and other affluent people were heading to one area. It almost felt like a convention of sorts. We ended up in the viewing platform of the Russia branch training room. A couple of scientists walked toward the center. They seem like they are married because the two waved at a girl that was sitting next to me. Her silver hair bobbed in excitement as the scientists unveiled their new type god arc. It was a hybrid of the two main old-type weapon classes: Swords and guns. True to it's namesake, only new-type GEs can wield it. One problem. New-types have never been seen before. It was a great invention filling the multi-role gap between the two classes, but without a new-type wielder, it is obsolete. The presentation lasted a few more minutes, and people left as quickly as they arrived. There was a good thing about the presentation though. It gave new hope to humans in this never-ending war with the aragami.

We headed to the main lobby and got to meet the scientists presenting the new-type god arc. Their daughter clenched her fists tightly at their lab coats out of shyness. The father and the mother talked to Asuma-dono in private, and we were left with babysitting her. Now that I look at her, she is roughly the same age as lady Yumi. She was fidgety, and she looked at us cautiously. Ben smiled, and he started a conversation with her.

"What's your name, girl?" Ben asked in perfect Russian.

"I can talk in Japanese you know." She countered.

"Well…not fluent." I added.

"I'm a kid! What do you expect?" She questioned with a piercing gaze. Ben coughed to signal the end of the subject.

"So your name?"

"My name is Alisa Ilinichina Amiella."

"I'm Ben Thompson, and this block of red here is Sora Ookami." He said happily.

"Hey! I'm not a block of red!"

"Do you see how much red you're wearing?"

"It's the uniform! And you shouldn't be talking cause you're wearing red too!" I yelled at him.

"Hm…that hair seems dyed."

"Wha-what? Again? How many times do I have to pound the truth into that stubborn head of yours?"

"It's fake." He said monotonously.

"It's natural!"

"What purebred Japanese has red hair?! It's unthinkable to say the least."

Alisa just stood there smiling at the event happening, and she somehow got popcorn in the middle of our bickering. She commented: "I wonder which of the three of us is the most mature." That statement killed me a little on the inside. Officially I'm sixteen-years-old, but I have the mind of a thirteen-year-old. What am I saying, I am more mature out of this gro-

"I bet Sora is thinking that he's the most mature." Ben said nonchalantly.

"Did not!"

"The reaction says everything Sora. And responding also contradicts your thought of you being mature." He got me there. I sat silently, while Alisa sent waves of snickers that infected Ben.

**XxXxXx**

**Alisa POV**

"Hey, how about a game of hide-and-seek?" I asked.

"Inside or out?" Sora asked nervously.

"Outside of course!" I happily responded.

"Um…that's a bad idea. You see this guy can't handle cold weather."

"Well too bad! Since he hates the cold, he seeks." I told before I ran out the building.

"H-hey…that's not funny. Get back here Alisa!" Sora's call was lost in the howling winds. I saw Ben grab his God Arc as I left.

"Count to ten Sora." Was all I heard after leaving the building. I looked for a nice building to hide in and saw closet that fits perfectly for my body. I crawled in and waited. And I waited for what seemed like half an hour, and then I heard my parents. I was glad. But the reason they came was to probably get me back at the base.

"Ready or not here we come." They both said in unison.

"Wait not yet!" I answered. The cycle of both phrases went on until I saw them.

"Okay ready."

The alarms went off without warning and a large black body replaced my view of my parents. An aragami is devouring my parents. My body wanted to move, but it only shuddered from the cold and the sound of chewed flesh. It kept feeding on their lifeless bodies as I watched limb after limb fly off.

"Daddy! Mommy! Stop it! Don't eat them!" I cried to the aragami. It turned to stare at me, and it showed the face of an old man.

"NO! Stop it!"

**XxXxXx**

**Sora POV**

**Minutes earlier…**

"I can't believe they just left like that." I muttered. "Well…I better find them."

"Oh Sora…where's Ben and Alisa?" I turned to see Asuma-dono and his face showed great panic.

"Outside. We're playing hide-and-seek. They just left." I answered.

"Quick! You need to find them. In about two minutes, the base will send an aragami invasion alarm."

"Shouldn't that happen after the wall is broken?"

"Alarm malfunction. Five veteran squads are already dead. Reports indicate that it's a new-type Vajra."

"Okay Asuma-dono."

"Let's split up. You take the right. We take the left."

"Okay."

The alarm went off. And I heard a distant roar. It wasn't far off. I ran towards it knowing the scientists and their daughter may be dead.

Well…I was half right, but it's not the time to glorify a guess. Ben was already fighting the thing. But his legs shook wildly, and the ground answered what needed to be asked as pool after pool of blood fills the snowy floor. Ben is going to die right in front of me. I shook the thought away. Ben is too stubborn to die. It's the same with his humor: persistent.

I hurried over to a scared and mentally scarred Alisa. She kept shaking in my arms, and she kept grieving over her parent's lifeless and decapitated body. I couldn't do anything now. All I can do is help-

"Graaaaaaagh!" Ben flew at the wall in front of me in even worse shape than before. His uniform is in ripped to shreds, and his stomach was oozing red. Disregarding the pain, Ben stood up with ease. He readied his God Arc once more. Only this time he held it backwards: his sword style.

"Get her out of here. Now." He ordered showing no sign of humor in his words. This was one of the rare times he got serious.

"You're taking this awfully serious." I replied. "I'm afraid I can't do that when I know I can help."

" You'll only be a hindrance."

"We'll see." I told him as I threw several of my bombs causing a barrage of explosions to occur. That should hopefully attract the attention of nearby GEs.

"I'll cover you. Now attack!" I ordered. He dashed and closed the gap between him and the black Vajra quickly, and he consecutively attacked its front legs. I waited for an opening to throw my bombs, but Ben was being relentless. He would attack one side of the Vajra, but then he'd suddenly be on the other side. (If you couldn't guess, Ben is a short sword user, and he uses a Chevalier Ex) The Vajra became enraged and roared. The surrounding area became exposed to a hemisphere of purple lightning. After that, Ben was nowhere to be seen. The beast was confused as well. I then noticed him on the upper level of this slowly crumbling building. He threw a flash grenade as soon as the Vajra gave interest in me.

"Now! Throw everything you've got!" He ordered. He didn't need to say that because I know an opening when I see one. I took eight of my bombs from my back pouch and threw them all at once as the beast roared.

"Shoot the bombs now!" I complied with the order and the beast was engulfed in flames. The explosion made it go back several feet. It roared once more to signal that I am more dangerous than Ben. I readied my bombs, and it charged at me like a bull. I charged as well scattering the bombs in the air as I ran and slid under it. I immediately regretted the decision as I remembered where Alisa was: right next to it. I face stiffened in horror knowing I sent a little girl to her death.

"Alisa run! Run!" I yelled at her. She heard my call and ran towards me, but the Vajra already turned around swiping at Alisa. Or it was supposed to be Alisa until I saw Ben dive in to shield Alisa from the strike. He then looked at me while keeping the paw of the beast on his shield.

"Shoot! Shoot dammit! C'mon what're you waiting for you block of red?"

"But you'll be hurt in the process!"

"I sentenced myself to death the moment I became a Gods Eater. Being a Gods Eater is like playing Russian roulette: You have many chances to live, but one time to end it. My job is to protect the weak from the aragami at the cost of my life. I'm doing my job. You wanted to be a Gods Eater too right? Then know this: A Gods Eater must be the shield and sword of humanity. A Gods Eater must fight to his last breath to protect those who can't fight. A Gods Eater must keep his will to live strong in his heart. A Gods Eater must not run away from the will to live. YOU mustn't run away from living even if your chance to live is small! Understand Sora? Fight hoping one more slash or blast will take it down. Now stop hesitating and shoot!" He cried and paused for a second. "If you meet a man named Lindow, tell him that he owes me a can of beer. Goodbye…Sora." I shot, and my vision flashed white. I only heard the sound of crumbling walls as I grab Alisa and ran.

-Russia Branch Sick Bay-

I woke up in a white room. I inspected every nook and cranny hoping to see life in the room. I only saw Alisa sleeping on my lap. She woke up as well. She stared for a while and held back tears. For some reason I was crying too. That's right. I remember. I shot and the whole building collapsed on them. He sacrificed himself. That moron. The tears Alisa and I held back now flowed like a broken dam.

"Damn him. Why'd he sacrifice himself like that? We could've waited for reinforcements. We could've lured it towards reinforcements. We could've-WHY COULDN'T I SAVE HIM? WHY? WHY?! DAMMIT BEN WHY LEAVE WITH THAT SELF-RIGHTHEOUS SPEECH. SO DAMN CLICHÉ!" Alisa hugged me closer and tighter to her. She also cried deeply for Ben, but look at me only crying for Ben. Alisa lost her parents too. Letting her see me like this and grieving for Ben loudly.

"Sorry…I'm really sorry Alisa. If I were there sooner, I would've…"  
"It's not your fault. It's not." Alisa said with teary eyes. I wiped them off her cheeks.

"I shouldn't have made that game." She cried as she hugged even tighter. "This would not have happen if I didn't suggest that game."

"Look at you blaming all this on yourself. A pretty girl like you shouldn't put heavy guilt on yourself like that." I patted her head. Her face became redder than any apple that existed in this godforsaken planet. It was pretty cute. That face of hers made me calm down.

"Thank you, Sora-san…" she uttered silently. "Thank you for saving me. I wouldn't know what I would've done if neither you or Ben were there."

"I was scared. Far too scared to think, move, or scream."

"It's fine. You're safe now. That aragami is gone." I reassured her.

"The ara…gami? The Black Vaj…aaaaaaaaauuuugh!" She braced her head as if she had a major brain freeze. "That monster…ugh…must…no-EVERY aragami MUST DIE! AAAUGH!" She's suffering from a mental breakdown. I cursed myself for not being able to do anything. Consoling her will only bring back the memory of that day. I only hugged her. It truly was the only thing I could do for her. She calmed down seconds later.

-After an hour of consoling-

"I heard you're leaving as soon as you're healed." She told in a depressed tone.

"My oh my, the silver princess is sad! What must I do for her as her knight?" I jokingly say to her.

"Stop being stupid for once is an option." She smirked.

"Your request wounds me milady. Say anything you want. I'll do the task to the best of my abilities."

"Live. Keep living on until and after I meet you again, Sora-san. Promise me." She said in the most innocent tone I've ever heard on a girl.

"I plan to. Don't worry. Consider your request granted milady." I answered.

"Then wear this." In her palm was a hairclip with the shape of a flame on it as a design. I accepted it and wore it as a replacement for my current hairpin.

"How does it look?" I asked.

"You look more like a block of red now." She chuckled.

"I'll pretend I never heard that."

"Or what? You'll hurt your princess?"

"S-shut up." I blushed at that comment.

"Oh my…that's not the type of language a knight should say."

"Then how should a knight talk then?" I asked. She smirked as if it was too obvious.

"Talk like you are a human." She said. "Talk with pride that you are still alive to protect who you hold dear."

"Understood."

-Russia Branch Helipad-

After the supplies were packed, Asuma-dono and I prepared our farewell. The farewell was extraordinary for sure. Everyone from the branch saluted in respect. The salute was meant for Ben, and Alisa's parents. I did not realize the salute was also for me as well. I tried to protect the branch and its people. However, that does not attract respect when I failed. They did not care. They gave me gifts related to all Gods Eaters: a part of their God Arc (sword, shield, or gun) in one humongous crate. I teared up as I also saw the branch's R and D gave me a (supposed match) God Arc with the same Chevalier Ex Ben had on his God Arc. It also carried the same Dodging Buckler+ shield he had. And its final part: a Raging Lore gun. I just sobbed even harder now, causing me to fall to my knees. Two wills were on this weapon, and I was the receiver.

Alisa came forward and hugged me. She hugged tighter as seconds pass.

"Promise to still be alive when I see you."

"I promise."

_Well…end of the prologue. What do you guys think? I gave you vague hints of what most of my OC's look, but I'll give a detailed version next chapter: Chapter 1: Finally the Devouring Inferno. Please review._


	3. Chapter 1: Finally the Devouring Inferno

_**Well. Here's chapter 1. Here is where most of the background of the game will be said. This will also be the chapter that Sora, my main OC, becomes a GE. Some back-story for him will also be mentioned here.**_

_**Oh! At the end of the chapter, I'll have story options.**_

_**Let's end the note for now.**_

_**Oh! If I didn't say it previously, I don't own anything except my OCs. The game, storyline, and its characters are owned by Namco Bandai.**_

**Chapter 1: Finally the Devouring Inferno**

**Two years later**

**May 23, 2071**

After the event in Russia, the God Arc for me was put in storage in the Far East base. It stays there waiting for me to be its wielder. I still kept my promise to be a Gods Eater after five years. It's been five years, and I'm arriving at the base to take the test, and to collect my partner in combat. Although I've fought unconventionally, my method of slaying the abominations called aragami was effective. I also must admit, a God Arc would make things very easy.

I was at the market when I got a call from Tatsumi. He must be giving me tips on the test. I answer with a casual "sup."

"About the test you're about to take, relax and take a deep breath when you're at the site." He said nervously.

"Okay…but why?"

"Ehhh…umm…it's gonna hurt a bit…n-no scratch that! It's gonna hurt a lot!" He sputtered quickly.

"Really? You called out of concern that I'm going to squeal like a girl? Way to give words of encouragement teacher." I say sarcastically. "What next? The Arc is going to eat me whole?"

"I-I wouldn't be saying that right now…" He stuttered uncontrollably. Huh?

"YOU MEAN IT"S GOING TO EAT ME ALIVE?!" I yelled at the phone. I might also have obliterated Tatsumi's eardrums.

"Hey hey…that's why I said to be calm. If you're nervous, the body may not accept the oracle cells into your body."

"Alright. I understand."

"Good. Now that's cleared up, I must go. It's mission time for the team. See ya." He hung up just like that. Well onto my destination.

**XxXxXx**

**Director POV**

"Director, the new-type candidate has arrived." Hibari announced with great urgency. I decide to take a peek into his past. As a director, I have power to know the circumstances of my employees.

_Name: Sora Ookami_

_Height: 5ft 11in_

_Hair color: Red_

_Hairstyle: 2_

_Top: Satonaka Uniform (resembles Gelateria waiter vest)_

_Bottom: Fenrir Red Battle Pants_

_Eye color: Red_

_Personality: Respectful to people of higher rank or nobility. He is casual when among friends and familiar colleagues. Takes his job seriously. He is extremely protective of loved ones, and will gladly sacrifice himself to protect them. He has been known to be rebellious if an order is against his moral judgment. That is a rare case for him. Regarding opinion about the aragami: He does not see them as threatening and feels that there are more important things than fearing the aragami._

_Past: Unknown_

_Found in an alleyway by Asuma Satonaka. Later became a bodyguard for the family and the daughter soon after. Known as the "Inferno" for his red hair and uniform. Sora's bomb making skills also added into making his famous nickname. The Vajra invasion in 2066 was stopped by Sora. In 2069, He also contributed in defeating a new-type Vajra in the Russia branch. He has gained respect from the people of the branch and was tested for synchronization to be compatible with a God Arc. The results show that he has a 97.86% synchronization success rate._

"Hmm…an interesting character." I say to myself. I look down at a footnote.

_The only thing linking Sora to his unknown parents is a necklace bearing a wolf devouring a slanted star._

What? I inspected it even further.

"A wolf eating a slanted star…" I repeated. I thought for a moment. I search and search for a familiar image that resides in my memories. Impossible! I reach for my photo album. I search for the necklace. Until I stop at a familiar colleague and project under her name.

"Project Star fall. So this is your legacy? Unbelievable. To think you'd actually do this…"

"Sir. He's arrived at the training room."

"Ah. Thank you for telling me that." I said as I left my room to meet the new-type.

**XxXxXx**

**Sora POV**

**-Training room-**

I was called to enter the training room to start the test. I got really nervous for a while. I remembered what Tatsumi said, and I took a deep breath. I walked to the machine in the middle of the room. I stared at it; it looked mostly the same as when I got in Russia. The only changes were that the cracks and dents that could be found before were fixed.

I looked up to see a man at the viewing platform. He was in a hurry going here it seems.

"My apologies for being late. Welcome to Fenrir's Far East Branch. We shall proceed with the test whenever you're ready. Please do relax. You'll get…better results that way." He said. So it was true that I need to be calm. I dismissed the thought and placed my arm on the slot. The armlet was in half. One piece of the armlet was on top of the machine, the other on the bottom where my arm rested. I gripped the hilt of the God Arc as it slammed down on my arm. I screamed loudly. The pain was sharp and sudden. It felt like my arm was ablaze.

"You'll…e…safe…here." A flash of memory appeared. Who is she? She doesn't look very familiar. She looked like she was in her late twenties. She was cradling me in her arms. She was heavily wounded as blood trickled down her body.

"I wanted…to see you grow, but…looks like…I won't be able to. Live…on, Sora, my son…" My eyes widen. Mom? How? A suppressed memory? That can't be…the only thing I remember is Asuma-dono picking me up as a baby (well…he told me that he picked me off the street).

I open my eyes again. The machine opened to a bound armlet on my right arm. I grabbed my right arm with my left expecting the weapon to be heavy; however, that was not the case as I lift the weapon without resistance.

"Hey buddy, long time no see." I say to my God Arc. A black vine then emerges out of an orange bulb to insert itself into the slot of my armlet. Very creepy to say the least. The man at the viewing platform spoke again congratulating me for becoming the world's first New-Type GE.

"This concludes the Aptitude test. Now that we know you're a match, you'll be going for a medical checkup next." The man continued. "Now then…I'd like you to wait in the room beyond that door…don't hesitate to let someone know right away if you start feeling unwell." That comment did not reassure me at all, sir. "I've high hopes for you."

-Entrance-

I go and walk towards the seats at the entrance at the bottom floor when I see a familiar red head taking a seat. He swung his feet back and forth to keep himself occupied. I sat down next to him, completely oblivious to my presence. Kind of hard to do with the amount of red I'm wearing.

'Damn it Ben…' I thought to myself remembering his "Red" statement.

"Hey…you want some gum?" He asked without looking at me. He really isn't paying attention, that idiot. "Oh sorry. Looks like I ate the last one."

"Hey it's fine Kota, I have gum on me." Is what I'd like to say, but his reaction would be priceless.

"I'm Kota Fujiki, nice to meet…ya. Oh hey Sora." Huh? You've got to be kidding me! I was expecting an over-the-top anime shock reaction, or a Kodak moment as some might say. But knowing Kota, he should've freaked out.

"Hey." Was all I could say to him.

"So you're a match too? Who am I kidding? You got a God Arc before you became a Gods Eater." He said quickly. "Though you got a God Arc first, I'm still your senior by a nanosecond!"

"Are you really worried about seniority, Kota?" I asked seriously.

"Nah…just feels cool that I beat you at something."

"And that something is…becoming a Gods Eater." I flatly say.

A woman in white came towards us. First I did not pay attention because I thought she was a rookie like us. How wrong I was. She has a different armlet, wore very provocative clothes, had a clipboard, and had a face of seriousness. She stopped in front of us.

"Stand up."

"Huh?" Kota asked for both of us.

"I said "Stand up!" On your feet!" She commanded harshly. Kota and I stood up like a rocket, but Kota took it a whole new level. Now that I look at her, she is a very attractive woman. She's got the…erm…the-you know what forget it. My description would only make me seem perverted, and…aroused. NO NO NO! I'm not going to think like that. While I had my moral conflict, the woman decided to talk some more.

"I'm on a tight schedule, so I'll be keeping this short." She said a little more softly. I guess being a senior here is a lot of work.

"My name is Tsubaki Amamiya, and I'm your advisor." She continued. "This is your schedule- after the medical checkup, you'll complete a full curriculum of basic physical training, basic combat training, as well as a weaponry/armor clinic."

"Umm Miss Tsubaki?" Kota nervously asked.

"Yes I'm completely aware that Sora Ookami has experience fighting Gods Eaters. But his fighting style will not work with a God Arc unless he knows the basics of wielding a God Arc."

"To other matters, we are the one's who have been protecting you, no offense to you, Sora."

"None taken Miss Amamiya." She coughed and then continued her speech. "But from this day forward, you'll be doing the protecting. If you don't want to die over something stupid, then answer my every question with a "Yes." Understood?" We gave no immediate response, and she became impatient.

"Answer me!" She commanded once again. This time we reacted.

"Yes ma'am!" We say in sync.

All right, let's begin the medical checkups. Well start with you." She says as she looked at me.

"Report to Dr. Paylor Sakaki's room by 1500 hours. Take a tour of the facilities until then. This is your new home, the Fenrir Far East Branch, a.k.a. "The Den. Make sure you pay your respects to the members of your team."

When she finished, I wander the lobby to see my teammates. As I look around, I see a girl. A very dirty girl, if I may add. She was drinking some can of something, but she noticed me and said hello.

"Name's Licca Kusunoki. Nice to meet ya New-type. I'm the mechanic around here." Licca Kusunoki. I remember that name from when Tatsumi returned my Katana. Well not Licca specifically, but her father.

"Nice to meet you Licca, but I need to know something." I say to her.

"Sure. Shoot."

"Well…It's about my sword."

"What about it?" She asked.

"I got this back after I woke up from my three-year coma, and a small case went along with it. It's from your father." I gave her the case, and unsheathed my sword to show the modification on it. The blade's fixed, but there's a slot right at the back of the blade.

"Do you resign your humanity?" Licca repeated the words on the case. She opened it.

"An Oracle Cell injection? Along with Burst inducers?!" She yelled. "What're you thinking Dad?"

"Um…an injection?"

"The injection, without an armlet with a Bias Factor to regulate the Cells, would slowly destroy your body, turning you into an aragami. The Burst inducer would weaken you for a boost in attack, and inserting the inducer in the slot would allow your sword to slash apart an aragami for a limited time because there are dormant oracle cells on your blade." She explained thoroughly, but she continued. "But I know how my Dad works. He doesn't give power like that by request."

"But I didn't request it. And I was in a coma remember?" I told her.

"True…" She muttered. I looked around for a clock. Thirty minutes left before I need to meet Dr. Sakaki.

"Well…It's nice meeting you, Licca. Thank you for explaining things to me. I'm glad you're the mechanic for our God Arcs." I sincerely say toward her, but she only seemed flustered by my comment.

"W-well…nice to meet you too, Sora."

I wander around some more meeting my superiors from the other units until it was time to go meet Dr. Sakaki. Only problem is that I don't know where his room is. Meh. I've been on the elevator, and the only button I haven't pushed is the laboratory level. I push the button, and I wait in the all-metal cube elevator.

The door opens and I spot another Gods Eater. I walk up to her to ask if this is where I can find Dr. Sakaki.

"You're looking for Dr. Sakaki?" She repeated.

"Yes."

"He's down the hall." She answered. She stared for a while. I was getting uncomfortable.

"Um…is there anything else?" I nervously asked.

"You're Sora aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Nice to meet you I'm Kanon Daiba of the 2nd unit." 2nd unit. Tatsumi's team.

"Nice to meet you too."

"Sorry for the short conversation, but I truly must meet with the Doctor." I say.

"Go ahead. Goodbye."

"Goodbye Miss Daiba." I say as I bow.

"Kanon's fine. No need to be formal." She chuckles at my mannerism.

"Apologies. Goodbye Kanon." I say as I leave her presence.

-Dr. Sakaki's room-

Two men waited in the room. One wore a white, long coat and had blond hair. He had his hands behind his back as if to hold a sense of authority. He surely had that aura of superiority to match his posture. The other was on the computer(s) typing away at whatever he's doing. He had messy hair, had several pairs of glasses (of which I don't know why he needs several), and wore a brown kimono and a red plaid pattern under it. Guessing by the polar opposites: the man on the left must be the director, and the other is Dr. Sakaki.

"Ah…the New-Type has arrived." The Director states obviously.

"Hello Director Shicksal. Hello Dr. Sakaki." I greet to them bowing.

"Just as the bio says: "Respectful to people of higher rank or nobility." Or in this case, authority." The Director smirked at this.

"Hello Sora." Dr. Sakaki replies.

"So about this medical check up-" I say.

"It's been finished." Dr. Sakaki finishes.

"Huh?" I exclaim. It's truly unexpected.

"We got your records from the Russia Branch. Apparently, everything, the synchronization test, the medical exam, equipment, etc. have been conducted in the Russia Branch." The Director explained clearly.

'_So that's why I got a matched God Arc._' I thought to myself.

"Well to other business. As you know, God Eaters are to fight against the aragami, beasts created by oracle cells that appeared out of thin air. As you defeat the aragami, you are also to gather materials to strengthen your own God Arc (Though you have high level equipment stocked already) and to take several of these materials to help finish the Aegis Project. The Aegis Project is a plan for humanity to survive. The island near the Pacific Coast will be impregnable to aragami attack." The Director graciously explains.

"Truly you will be an interesting character in the coming days." Dr. Sakaki says out loud.

"My apologies, but I have other duties to attend to. Sakaki, I trust you'll handle things from here?" The Director asks.

"Of course Johannes." Dr. Sakaki replies as the Director leaves the room.

"Now to business…"

-My room-

'What was that all about?' I thought. Dr. Sakaki talked about a project. What was it again? Ah yes. Project Star Fall. A flash of pain vibrates through my head. I brace my head. The pain was worse compared to normal migraines.

I open my eyes and look upon a dark horizon. A fog rested itself on this unfamiliar place. I stare left, right, anywhere to see anything visible in my line of sight. Nothing. I only heard the rattle of chains. I follow the sound that pierced my eardrums. What seemed like miles was actually only a meter away from where I originally stood. There I see a wall bounded by numerous and massive chains. The door shook once more, and I flinched from the sudden burst of movement. When the rattling stopped, I stared at the door once more. A picture of a wolf eating a slanted star was on the door.

"No way…" I say to myself dumbfounded. I search for the necklace that was apparently with me as a baby. When I got it, I stared with the Asame dumbfounded expression planted on my face. The same image was on the necklace. I lift it up to see any missing detail, but a tremendous amount of heat radiated from the door. And then without warning, the chains snap and an unknown beast emerged from the shadows of its confinement. I fall to my knees as the creature howled. A glow materialized in front of the beast.

"Until you are ready to confront it, it shall stay in the other side." The entity says.

"Hold up the necklace once more to summon the beast." The glow disappeared, and the beast came at me to bite me. I brace myself.

I wake up the moment it came to take a bite at me. I sat on my bed drenched in sweat, gasping for air, and grabbing the sheets tightly in my palm. I've never had a nightmare of this magnitude.

"What in the world was that?" I say to myself. I shake the uneasy feeling, and cleared my head.

_**And this chapter is done. So here's my situation: I have two options**_

_**Option 1: Go towards a canon route and adding my own elements here and there. **_

_**Or**_

_**Option 2: Split from the storyline and be creative. I'll give hints of canon scenes to keep the fic related to the game.**_

_**The options won't happen until a few more chapters.**_

_**Thanks for reading. Please review.**_


	4. Chapter 2: Into the Mindscape

Chapter 2: In the Mindscape

-Entrance-

I head downstairs to meet Miss Amamiya. She said to meet Hibari Takeda, the operator for the branch. And so her I am on one of the seats waiting for my unit leader, Lindow Amamiya, to go with him on a mission. Wait…

"_If you meet a man named Lindow, tell him that he owes me a can of beer._" I mutter. Ben…

"Um…excuse me Sora, but your leader will be late for a while. Do you wish to take on some training exercises?"

"Sure." I eagerly say.

-Training Room-

So I got the basics down. The form-changing combo will be a great asset during combat. The advanced step will also be helpful in attacking reckless enemies. I then remember my sword.

"Miss Amamiya?"

"Yes Sora?"

"Can I try something out?"

"Sure."

"Training room! Enemy type: Vajra. Level: 10 Amount: 3" I order.

"What? Decline that order!" Miss Amamiya ordered the scientists.

"We can't the program started."

Three Vajras appear. All look hungry and most definitely hostile. I readied both blades.

"Miss Amamiya, is this room capable of withstanding my bombs?" I ask.

"We strengthened the room just from the fact that you joined us."

"Thank you. Start the exercise."

I inserted a burst inducer to the slot of my sword, and took my stance. One of the Vajras swipe at me, and I lunge at it in response. I take my sword out first to truly test if it can slice them. As I swing the blade, flesh comes in contact, and no resistance was found. I smile at this.

"Alright kitties, time for you to take a cat nap!" I say as I use my momentum to swing my God Arc. The damage is visibly stronger and larger, but together, it was even stronger. I chuck up a couple of bombs and shoot it with my gun. The aragami flinch in response to the blast.

'I'm going to have fun with this fighting style.' I think to myself. I swiftly move between the towering monsters. The sensation of fighting felt different. I didn't feel like I was restricted to one thing. I was making a storm out my slashes and bombs.

One Vajra came to bite me, and I jump on its head to gain more altitude. I throw down most of my bombs, and I hit the ceiling of the massive training room. I stab the ceiling to stay put. Looking down, I see the three Vajras roaring in anger. I shoot one bomb with my pistol to create a chain reaction that looked like red and orange bubble of flames. I decide to dive, but I meet a jumping Vajra. Reflex kicks in and I slash downwards at the Vajra to propel myself away from the beast. A flash of purple moves in front of my face, and I dive into a swipe of a claw. I took a direct hit, and I fly to the other side of the room. The pain surrounds my body like getting hit by a truck on both sides. I stagger to stand, but I persist.

"So this is how you play? Interesting." I mumble. "Now I'll show you three why I'm the "_Inferno._"" I move in ignoring the pain. A slash here. A slash there. I move around the three; however, they only stood looking, waiting for a strike.

'_I only have seven bombs left_.' I thought. '_I guess I have to use the Ricochet style_.' I drop one in front of one of the Vajras, and I slide under as it takes the blast. The force propels me forward, and I cut the underbelly of the other Vajra. Coming to a stop, I drop another, and I move back and shoot to push me to the unwary third Vajra. I was right above the nape of its neck, and I cut an opening large enough to fit one bomb. It shook wildy trying to shake me off. I held on for a while, but I lost my grip and went flying to the ceiling. And yet another hit to my back.

I lost consciousness as I fall, but to replace the scene, I was back in wonderland. Seriously what is this place? Some place between dream and reality? Mind and matter? I'll be damned if that glow was some silver-haired lady in blue holding a textbook. I gaze around once more, and I see a person sitting at the gate. He noticed me and started to wave.

'_This is all in my head right_?' I ask myself.

"Yup." Said by the mystery individual. From what he's wearing he looks like a normal teenager. He had jet black hair that spiked in the back to look like some emo ninja from an anime. He wore a black jacket with yellow headphones around his neck. He wore jeans that had way to many pockets…for the average pair of pants. I mean my pants has several to accommodate my bombs, but he's wearing that for style.

"Hey! I'm not emo! How dare you insult your gatekeeper." He growled at me.

"Gatekeeper? What are you? Are you my other self? Are you a manifestation of my deepest desire that I wish to deny?" I bombarded him with questions.

"Will you quit with the references? I'm being serious here." He whines.

"That face you're making doesn't fit your actions. Who are you?"

"And you're pretty cold despite wearing all that red." Nice comeback.

"Thank you. My name is Satomi."

"Nice to meet you Satomi."

"Ditto."

"Seriously…gatekeeper? What am I thinking?"

"Oh I'm not you if that's what you're asking. I'm connected to you." He says nonchalantly.

"Connected?"

"Do you want a different explanation? I'm your God Arc, there I said it." He was particularly sad about telling the truth.

"Of course I'm sad about telling the truth!

"It was you who ruined it." I monotonously say. "I didn't pry too much. You could have made another explanation, but no."

He stared for a long time. "Dammit! Curse you, you entity beyond imagination! Why force words in my mouth that I don't want to say." He yells at the air.

"So…to other matters. Why am I here?" I ignored his call to whomever.

"That knock by the Vajra forced you here." Satomi explained.

"So am I dead?"

"No you idiot. If you were, we wouldn't be having this conversation. And you know you're alive, so why ask that stupid question?"

"…"

"You're glowing. Ah! Nap time is over for you. A tip for you: Use an inducer, it'll do wonders for you."

"Why's that?"

"Your control unit, me, is a beserker. In burst mode, when you hack and slash, it'll be stronger."

"I see. Kay."

I woke up and still in the air. I took an inducer and ate it. It left a sour taste in my mouth as the effect kicked in leaving me weaker. One charges at me full force, and in response I twirl around to give momentum to my swing. And with the tip of my blade, the face of the Vajra was destroyed. The core was exposed and I devour it. Another charges, so I dash under it and slicing the area around the core to devour. It delicately crashes to the floor.

"Two down, only you left." I point to the tense aragami. Pulling my pistol out, I shot at its neck. Hues of blue, green, and red engulf its face as the flames dance on its skin, and armor. A big opening exposed its core. It tries to get up, but it can't. so all that's left to do is to devour.

Tsubaki only stood there shocked. I shared her thoughts. I mean I beat the hardest difficulty as a rookie.

"Amazing! So this is what a New-Type is capable of. To do so much in so little time…" One of the scientists say. Miss Amamiya regained her composure.

"Training's over. You've had quite the training session. Your mission with your leader will be moved to tomorrow. Get some rest Inferno."

"Understood." I reply. My body was drenched in sweat once more. But the thing is…my sweat was steaming as if my body became an oven. Luckily, it was over before someone took notice. I leave the training room, and head to my room.

When I got to my room, I inspected my necklace. I tried to remember what happened in the past.

…

…

Nothing at all. I give up the attempt, and I focus on another matter: my arm. My arm felt warm. It was warmer compared to my other arm. Neither arm was overused during training so why is it warmer? A knock on the door took me out of my deep thought. I open the door to see a familiar brunette standing in front of me.

"Sup Sora?" Tatsumi asks as he smiles. "I heard you took down 3 rank 10 Vajras. Congratulations on your training."

"Thanks."

"C'mon let's get some food. You must be starving." He says.

"Nah. I heard the mess hall food sucks." I flatly say.

"Where'd you hear that?" Tatsumi asks.

"People. I even heard Dr. Sakaki does crazy experiments on the food. Personally, I want to die by aragami, not spiked food."

"Okay…what do you suggest?"

"I'll cook."

"Really? That's awesome! I haven't tasted your cooking in a long time. I'll call my teammates. Think of this as an introduction." He says.

"Sure. I've met some, but I really haven't gotten to know all of them better."

"I'll go get them. Prepare food for…" Tatsumi says as he counts with his fingers. "Seven."

"Seven? When'd your unit get big?" I ask.

"Oh no I added several friends of mine from the 3rd unit, and my unit is bigger than that. You only see my best teammates with me."

"Oh. Okay then. As they say: The more the merrier!" I enthusiastically say.

"I've got a mission to attend to, so it'll take a while. Later!"

"Later…" I say as he closes the door. I stare at my refrigerator. '_That'll be enough._' I thought.

"Alright time to cook like never before!"

-1 hour later-

Well that was exhausting. I've never made a meal that served seven people. It was fun nonetheless. I look at the menu once again.

1 roasted chicken, 2 fried salmons, a plate full of rice balls, sushi, wasabi, soda (From the vending machine), and one big ramen bowl to share. And all came from my earnings as a bodyguard. I stare at my wallet. Nothing was inside the wallet but the leather that held it together. Yup. That'll be enough for seven people. I hope. I clean up the mess from the tiny kitchen I have in my room, and soon after, I took a bath.

-10 Minutes later-

I got out of the shower, and dried myself up. I decided to wear shorts at the moment because I may be late. I rush to my room with a towel over my shoulder and my shirt held by my left hand. I turn the corner and bump into a foreign body. Foreign because I didn't see whom it was. I get up and the first thing I see is a head of pink hair. I quickly get off of Kanon's pinned body, and I quickly apologize.

"It's fine Sora."

"Why are you only wearing shorts?" The pinkette asked. The others stared at me too. Tatsumi covers for me.

"Don't you see that he just finished taking a shower? I mean really, he took care of the cooking that took an hour or so. Someone would be really be sweaty after smelling like the food they made."

"Yeah! I was rushing to my room because I thought you all would be there." I say.

"Well what're we waiting for? I'm starving here." The Gods Eater with the baseball cap, Shun, states.

-My room after the meal-

"Hah…that was delicious. I haven't ate something this delicious in a long time. Compliments to the chef." Shun gleefully says. The silver-haired Gods Eater, Gina, nods in agreement.

"I have to tell Dr. Sakaki to allow you to be a chef, Sora." Tatsumi says while rubbing his stomach. I smile at everyone. They were a rowdy bunch at the start, but all of them were kind people. Karel stood up thanking me for the food, but he had other matters to attend.

"I'll find some paying missions, and buy you the ingredients you need to make another delicious meal or buffet."

"Nice meeting you Karel." I say.

"Likewise."

"Oi, wait up! Let me in on that mission you were eyeing today, Karel. I wanna help getting the money for food like that again! Oh and see ya rookie. Nice to meetcha." Shun immediately says. Everybody leaves one by one.

Then the room only contained Kanon and me. She fidgets as she tries to release the words stuck in her cute lips.

"Is there anything you want Kanon?" I ask to break the silence. Her face shot up in alert.

"Do you…want any help with cleaning the dishes?"

"Sure. Grab some of the plates on the table and put it on the sink." I say to her. She does just that, and I clean the table up.

"Sora, I'm done." She announces.

"Thanks Kanon. I'll do the …*yawn* rest." I say tiredly. She looked at me worriedly, but why?

"You seem tired, I'll do it for you." She says calmly in the most soothing voice I've ever heard. Her voice enchants me to follow her request. And so I take a well deserved sleep.

**Kanon POV**

What a cute sleeping face he has. For a rookie, he's too formal. I might need to do something about that. I dismiss the thought and focused on cleaning the dishes. But my gaze locks to the amount to plates and silverware needed to clean.

"This is going to take a while…" I whisper.

"_I want you to keep an eye on the rookie, can you please do that?_" I remember Tatsumi asking. For a leader that's supposed to be worrying about the aragami outside the wall, he worries about his student too much. Kind of admirable really.

"_Sure. But why?"_

"_I'm afraid that he'll get himself killed sooner or later. He has reasons to lose his cool in battle. And I'll be damned if all I taught him was put to waste." _He says.

"_I understand._"

"Ngh…no…N-no…" Sora mumbles in his sleep. I stop what I was doing and go to his side. His body was trembling. What kind of nightmare is he having?

"Stop it! G…et aw…ay. Lea-ngh me…alon-Aaaaauugh" He screamed. I grabbed him by the arms and shook him to wake him up. What is happening in his head? I was getting worried. The screams of anguish got louder and louder, but he still wouldn't wake up.

"No…NOOOOO!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. I embraced him to calm him down.

"Shhh…it's okay. Calm down, you're safe here." I tell him in my best calming voice. His shaking stop, his breathing slowed, and tears fell from his lovely eyes. I loosen my embrace and see a traumatized Sora in front of me. He wipes the tears from his eyes, and he averts his gaze away from me. He might be ashamed about a girl seeing him cry from a nightmare. I hold his shoulder.

"What happened?" I ask.

"I…in my nightmare, I…failed in my duty as a bodyguard…and as a Gods Eater." He replies in the most depressing tone.

"I couldn't protect anyone at all. They were running away or attacking me." He says. I raise an eyebrow to that.

"I became was the people fear and what the Gods Eaters destroy: I became an aragami in that nightmare." He dreadfully says.

_**And that's the end for this chapter. Hope you like it. **_

_**Satomi: Why did you make me say what I was?**_

_**Me: they would have figured it out by the next chapter.**_

_**Well till next time.**_


	5. Chapter 3: (Lack of) Training Nightmare

A spark creates an ember that enlarges to a flame. A flame, without control, will destroy all and any in its path. That is the nature of an inferno.

Chapter 3: (Lack of) Training Wheels and the Nightmare

**Unknown POV**

What was that? A nightmare of becoming an aragami you say? You **FEAR** of becoming an aragami? How laughable. If I didn't know any better, you're forgetting who you really are, Sora. You already are an aragami. Heck every single comrade in your force, but that armlet limits all of you from becoming one. But you have more potential as an aragami more than anyone else. No matter. You'll soon know the truth, little one. After all, I'm part of the insanity your parents caused. I shall wait till your true self awakens from its peaceful slumber.

-Dr. Sakaki's lab-

**Kanon POV**

"I see. Our little pup is having nightmares." Sakaki says in a serious tone. "Tell me. Did he explain any anomaly partaking in his body?"

"Nothing Doctor. I'm sure he would have told me if something was wrong." I reply.

"This type of character bottles up everything. You cannot assume things in this line of work Kanon. Especially if one doesn't know his or her past…" He says morbidly.

"…"

"Thank you for telling me about this as soon as possible. I'll have the 1st unit observe Sora's behavior." He states. "You are dismissed." I bow and leave the room. Sora…what's going on with you? Will you be okay like this? Then announcement static reached my ears.

"Kanon Daiba, Gina Dickinson, and Brendan Bardell report to the entrance for a sortie." A mission? Fine…I'll leave it up to the 1st unit to handle him for a while.

-Entrance-

**Sora POV**

I look at the clock. Twenty minutes past three.

'_He's late._' I thought. I give a deep sigh. That was embarrassing to say the least. Crying like that from a nightmare, and a girl sees it. I cover my face by remembering the event. I'm thankful that she was there to calm me down, but my pride is damaged. Footsteps bring me back to reality, and it came from a raven-haired man wearing a uniform fit for a leader. But he didn't have an aura of an intimidating superior. He was more nonchalant from the way he walks. This is Lindow Amamiya.

"Oh Lindow…the Director said if I saw you to tell you to come see him." Hibari says. He waves at her.

"Okay. Don't tell him you saw me." Lindow shoots down the Director's order. I chuckle at his response. He walks up to me.

"Hey there, rookie. The name's Lindow Amamiya. On paper, I'm your superior officer. But never mind all that boring stuff, okay? All I'm asking is that you become someone I know will have my back, okay?" He says everything so nonchalantly for a superior. Well…that may be a trait that makes him so admirable to the other Gods Eaters. I give him a nod to his request. A lady in black walks up to Lindow. She…also has some very big equipment that she's carrying. Seriously…a post-apocalyptic world, and voluptuous women still exist. What is happening here? She greets Lindow.

"Who's this? A rookie?" She asks. Lindow smiles and replies "Yeah. And I'm pounding him with all of our severe rules so take a hike, Sakuya." So that's her name.

"Yes sir, Big Boss sir." She sarcastically replies as she waves at me then leaves.

"So anyway that's about it, okay? I'm sending you into battle now, but I'll be accompanying you on this mission. Hey look at the time, we're heading out guys."

-City of Mercy-

"Boy…this place sure has seen better times." Lindow says the understatement.

"Uh-huh…" Was all I could say at the ruins of the old society. The buildings that stood tall were covered in spherical dents. These dents were signs that aragami ate them. How did this go so wrong? I remember from what I was told that aragami were just cells that appeared out of nowhere, but for it to evolve this much and demolish society? This is too crazy.

"Alright, we'll start with training. Our mission is to kill an Ogretail. I know this is easier than what you've fought, but think of this as practice against unfamiliar aragami." Lindow states.

"Understood."

"I've got three orders: Don't die. If your number's up, get out. Lastly, hide. If you're lucky catch the enemy off guard and blast it." He orders in a serious manner.

"Four sir." I correct his silly mistake.

"Eh? Oh my bad. Bottom is you gotta survive. Follow that order and everything else will be fine. Kay?"

"Yes sir!" I respond. Lindow gestures his hand to say to leave the formalities.

-After the defeat of the Ogretail-

"You really didn't hold back at all." Lindow seemed impressed, and he was clapping to show it.

"Not my fault they're the small fry of all the aragami."

"Numbers will hurt, if you're that reckless. I analyzed that style of yours. It's effective, but know when to back off. You won't be able to see the way you fight until you fight bigger enemies." He recommended.

"I'll try to do that."

"Yeah…you mustn't be reckless in this line of work. A dead God Eater is useless to humanity." He says truthfully, but the sentence just attacks my mind. It searched for Ben in my head. The sacrifice he did to make Alisa and me live was useless? He was one of the factors of why I'm a Gods Eater. If not for Ben's sacrifice, I wouldn't be the first New-Type Gods eater to appear.

"Is that how you think of your former comrades that died?" I asked harshly. He was apparently caught off guard, but Lindow recollected himself. "Is that how a leader acts when death is the subject? Is that how you acted when Ben Thompson sacrificed his life to save a civilian and me from a New-Type Vajra? I can't believe it… That idiot would make a promise with you…" I snarled at my leader.

"H-hey…I'm just saying it from a civilian's perspective. No need to take it seriously." Lindow steps back while trying to calm me down.

"You made it serious once you talked about dead Gods Eaters being useless. I wouldn't be even here if it wasn't for Ben. His last words were of you and his promise to both of you. And yet here you are talking bad about the dea…" I got cut off due to a slap. Lindow looked serious.

"Once I heard the news… I placed a can of beer on his grave. A promise to either one of us who died first to place a can of beer on his grave." He said. "I cared about him. He was one of my best pals." He said morbidly. "I would never think of his death as useless at all. He was a model Gods Eater to this branch."

'_He remembered the promise_.' I thought.

"You need to calm down. You need to keep those emotions in check at all times. The way you are now, you'll only die sooner." He scolds. I took a deep breath and regained my composure.

"Understood."

"Remember: Surviving is the main thing to focus on." I nod to his order. "Alright, let's go back." He orders.

-Den Entrance-

The rest of the ride was silent and awkward because of the conversation about Ben. Gosh…why'd I say that? I wanted to be friendly to my comrades, but now it becomes awkward. I overreacted and misunderstood his words. Was this because of my nightmare? The thoughts envelop me like birds circling my head.

"-ra…Sora…Sora!"

"Huh? Oh Hibari. I'm sorry for ignoring you. I have a lot of things on my mind." I say to her. I must've worried her a bit.

"It's fine. Your next mission is with Sakuya Tachibana. She's already waiting on site. A helicopter is waiting for you on the pad. Good luck." She says.

"Thank you."

-Dr. Sakaki's Laboratory-

**Lindow POV**

"So he's emotional when it comes to certain topics. Anything else other than normal reactions?" Sakaki asks curiously. His unrevealing gaze pierces me. For a nice doctor, he can be creepy at will. He's really curious about the rookie from a nightmare. Why the sudden interest?

"Nothing about a nightmare, or any disliking or hate towards aragami." I reply. "And other than being reckless like most rookies, Sora has nothing different about him at all. Unless you count him having more combat experience than the average rookie."

"I see…" He repositioned his glasses. "It's Sakuya's turn for observing our rookie. And once Soma and Eric are done with their report, I'll send them to Sakuya and you to see how much has changed."

-Satonaka residence-

**Yumi POV**

"Argh! When's he coming back? I'm bored. And why'd he choose to do that job all of a sudden? Dad, tell me." I demanded an answer from dad. He chuckles as if the answer was obvious.

"It's easy if you think about it for a second, sweetie." He replies. So it's really obvious except to me. I sigh from the non-answer. Think…think why would he take that job? The only practical benefit is that you get more money, but Sora doesn't care much about money. He was training with Tatsumi-san, but was it in preparation to become a Gods Eater? Was Sora-

"Sora wanted to get stronger?" I yell out loud. Dad snickers at my answer.

"Close, but think why." Gah…more thinking. Dammit…to be stronger means he's trying to protect someone. But the only one he's protecting is-

"ME?!" Dad cracks a smile from my ignorance of the answer. He closes the book he's reading and proceeds to fold his arms.

"You FINALLY get it. Took you a long time didn't you, sweetie." Dad says. Other servants crowd around nodding as if the answer was really obvious. I scowl at all of them for withholding information like this.

"You thought Sora protected you because it's his job? Sora genuinely cared for you like a brother, and he wants to protect you by becoming stronger." One of the servants explains with extreme simplicity.

"Then it's decided…" I start. Dad and the others gave a curios gaze to me. "I'll become a Gods Eater to ease his workload." Then suddenly everyone coughed, and another spit takes. What's the matter all of a sudden? What's with the reaction I'm getting? Dad recovers.

"What makes you want to become a Gods Eater?" He asks.

"Didn't I just say it? I'll be a Gods Eater so he'll focus on his job as a Gods Eater." I explain.

"I think that'll give an opposite effect lady Yumi." One of the servants says.

"Nonsense! My decision is final." I say and walk out the room. I manage to hear a small conversation from my dad and another servant.

"Asuma-dono, your daughter is either dense or naïve."

"Try both…"

-Wailing Plains-

**Sora POV**

'_One down, two to go.' _I thought. Three consecutive training missions were given to me. The mission is to slay a couple of Cocoon Maidens, another batch of small fry. This'll be easy. I walk to the cliff where Sakuya-san stood in wait.

"You're the new recruit I met earlier. My name's Sakuya Tachibana. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise, Sakuya-san. My name is Sora Ookami." I introduce to myself to her.

"Wow…you really are formal. I didn't believe there's still such a person in this world." She says.

"Does my formality bother you Sakuya-san?" I ask. "If it does tell me."

"It doesn't, but you'll need to let go of that formality at some point." She answers. People really do see me as too formal. I'll lose it soon enough.

"Are you nervous? You need to relax, or your body will freeze up in crucial times."

A roar echoed in the distance. In this place, a vortex spirals in its center, yet it does not move from the very spot. The wind spirals fast enough to sound like a wail. Sakuya-san gets serious and explains that the mission will start.

"Stay within firing range of your backup. That is basic teamwork with a long-distance God Arc user."

"Understood. Commencing mission." I say in the comm. link to Hibari. We drop down and searched the jet-black soil for the enemy. The stagnant Maiden is rooted to the ground and can't move unless it's digging underground. It sounds easy, but Tatsumi says that the Maiden has offensive and defensive capabilities to fend off any Gods Eater. Then I saw a figure in the distance, and it was no human that's for sure. It spots Sakuya and me, and it starts shooting lasers at me. I charge at the monster and closing the rapidly decreasing gap between us. Once close, I slash mercilessly, and it sprayed blood everywhere until it slumps. I finish it off with a bomb lodged in its exposed ribcage. Blood rained down for a second, and it barely changed my appearance. Only my face dripped aragami blood. My vision suddenly changed, and everything turned into negative colors.

I blink, and suddenly I was in the city. But blood was everywhere. Artful splatters of blood cover wall after wall of every building. People run away from me in great fear. I was becoming insane as the pain in my right arm increased. Every muscle in my body shook and my arm turned jet black for a second. Then it changed into a gray tone with a ridge splitting on the center of my forearm. It opens, and a burst of flames erupts from it. The inferno surrounds me, but it doesn't burn me. As the flame surrounds me, my hair turned snow white and my skin turns charcoal-black. Then I lost my humanity, as my morals are destroyed and prioritized one thing: Eat.

"Eat. Eat. Eat…" The message echoed in my head as I try to fight back. But even my mind succumbs to temptation. I lost control of every part of my body, and I followed my predatory instincts by chasing down several civilians and eating on their flesh. The flesh was delicious, and I wanted more. My taste buds tingle in excitement when I see more prey I can feed on.

However, several Gods Eaters stood in front of me and pointed all their God Arcs at me. They were the whole 2nd unit and 3rd unit that stood against me. All of them had regret in their eyes. My aragami self disregarded their hesitation and regret, and attacked them.

"NO! Dammit, stop! Leave them alone!" I vainly order my aragami self.

Shun was first to go as I rip his shield and blade from its hilt. He managed to survive a bit without his God Arc, but the result was an inevitable death. His limbs fly from his body with great speed and a coat of red now makes my newly turned snow-white hair return to a deep crimson. As the liquid drips from my mouth, Karel shoots ineffective bullets at me. I go for him next. However, Brendan hits me with the flat of his arc and sends me in a homerun into a nearby building.

"Gina, Karel shoot him down now!" Tatsumi orders as a barrage of lasers and bullets head toward me. I dodge, but a radial bullet from Kanon's gun hits me.

"Kanon out of the way!" Brendan shouts at her. He then swings his charged swing, but I block it. Everyone expresses his or her surprise. I roar in triumph of deflecting the strike. I push his blade away, and I punched through his chest.

"No…way…Sor-ugrhhaaaaaugh!" I burned his body. His pained screams echo my mind, yet my body does not flinch.

"Brendan!" Gina yells. Her eye became sharper then before, and she shot every bullet she can release from her gun. But my arm blocks all of the attacks. Kanon's attack did manage to harm me.

"Now Tatsumi!" Kanon orders. Tatsumi suddenly appears with his God Arc in mid-swing. I reflexively parry with a blade of flames. We exchange with parry after parry, but Tatsumi slips and I give him a left uppercut that placed him in the air. When coming down, I give him a right straight to the face. He flew ten feet away, and he was unconscious. My aragami self ignored him for now and focused on Gina and Karel. Both shot at me repeatedly with no success, so I charge and slashed both of them in half. Their lifeless bodies go their separate ways, and a spectacle of blood rain down on the scorching pavement. Kanon pointed her gun on my back, and she shot bullet after bullet to force me to the ground. It was effective in hurting me, but it was insignificant soon after. My body gave her a backhand with my left hand. However, she blocks it with her gun that contained a dent created by my arm. She continues shooting, yet none make contact on my body. As I got close, I took a bite at her neck and crushing it, effectively killing her too…

"Dammit…stop. It's my body. Why won't it listen to me?! I'm my own master. Motherfucker give me back my body now!" I yell at the sinister being.

"Sit down and shut up. I'm taking over. You stay in the corner of MY mind for a change." It says threateningly. Then Tatsumi struggles to stand, but he manages to. He sees my carnage, and he found new resolve.

"Sorry Sora, but you need to die." He says without hesitation in his voice. My body roars in response.

"No... Leave him alone! Don't lay a finger on him."

"Oh I won't." The entity utters. "Tell me…how good are your reflexes?" He asks as my right arm attacks Tatsumi at an opening. Tatsumi can't react in time, but…I can. I had control, yet the momentum aimed for his chest. I willed my arm to move down, and a pillar of flame responds to push my arm to the ground.

"Hah…safe."

"Uh-uh…" Then my left arm reaches for Tatsumi's God Arc. Once I grab hold, I demolish its core and hilt with that single hand. I go for the kill, and Tatsumi can't defend himself. I grab his face filled with terror, and I crush it. I regain control, but I can't move due to everything my body has done.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I howl in the air as yet another wall of flames cover me. And once again my body changes. Change to something bigger, bulkier. My posture forced me to go on four legs. My arms became thicker, and my face became a snout, and I grew a cape and tail. I roar in agony. A monster, that's what I am now. All I have is bloodlust. I let instinct lead me to my new victim. A teenage girl with raven-black hair wearing a white beanie stood in fear. I did not hesitate and try to eat her. Until I realize it was lady Yumi. And realizing that by the last second, I already ate her.

"Hey…Sora! Get yourself together!" Sakuya-san orders. I was in the sick bay. Apparently I finished the mission, but I was unresponsive and overly aggressive. I soon pass out, and now I'm here.

"Tell me what happened after killing that Cocoon Maiden." She orders. I explain everything to her without leaving any detail. She nods in understanding and leaves soon after to report this to Dr. Sakaki.

"Stay here and rest. That's an order."

"Understood…"


	6. Chapter 4: Project Star Fall

Chapter 4: Project Star Fall

"What happened to send you here so fast?" Says a newly arrived Kota. He was holding a bag of sort of which I didn't care about at the moment. Kota takes a seat right next to me and eats a piece of that hard to chew giant corn on the cob kernel. "Seriously mph…w-what happened? It's your second day here and you're already in the infirmary."

I couldn't respond to that. I knew nothing of what happened except for a recollection of the nightmare from last night and from what Sakuya said. Argh this is so confusing. Why am I even getting a nightmare like that? My body quivered at the thought. Everyone…dying…by my hand. Tatsumi, Kanon, everyone…brutally dies. What caused that nightmare? Why was lady Yumi a victim as well? So many questions, but I cannot answer. I just cover my face with my hands and try to figure anything out.

'_Why?_'

"Hey! Earth to Sora! Sora!" Kota yells into my ear. He finally stops when I cover my left ear, and he immediately sits down to take another bite of his corn. "You're obviously not yourself today." He mutters.

"Oh? And what gave you the hint?"

"Geez…no need to get irritated." Kota says while scratching his head.

"I'm not. I'm just thinking of why I'm in this situation while you interrupted me." I say to the curious Fujiki.

"I see. Well if you need help just ask me. I do owe you for protecting my sister years ago." He says as he prepares to leave.

"It wasn't JUST your sister. Remember, lady Yumi was there too."

"Right. I'm leaving the bag here. It's filled with lunch from the cafeteria. And it's a new recipe." Kota smirks as he presents a brown paper bag.

'_Did he just say it is food from the cafeteria?'_ Oh no… nonononononononononononononononononononononononono nononononononononononono.

"I heard how **MUCH** you _loved_ cafeteria food." Kota says menacingly. I stare at the bag for a few good seconds and…-wait! It moved! Oh god it moved! What horror did Dr. Sakaki experiment and inject into such an important substance called food. Then Kota laughs hysterically and maniacally in this small white infirmary.

"This is what you get for not giving me some of your cooking!" He yells. W-what? Revenge…for not sharing food?

"That's the reason? Really? What the hell?! That's not equal revenge at all!" I yell at him.

"It's totally equal because it's food!"

(**Satomi**)

Ahem…I'm sorry for interrupting your reading but the following scene contains inexplicably cliché anime arguments containing yelling, wrestling, forehead contact, _very_ wide open mouths, etc. Please just look for cat videos for a while. This will take a while.

-10 minutes later-

"What?! It's only a joke! Unbelievable…it's only one of those prank tools that vibrates in your hand." I yell in disbelief. Kota muffles his laugh.

"Pfft…I really had you going there for a while. You should've seen your face. You had a look of panic, terror, oddly hunger, anger, and several other expressions that I won't say at the moment."

"Look it's only bottled water and your favorite can of chips in this bag." Kota apologetically says. "Now I can leave knowing you're back to normal."

"What do you mean? I've been normal."

"Nope. You were silent, unresponsive, and expressionless. The opposite of what you usually are." Kota explained. "Oh look at the time. Later Sora. Got a mission to attend to. Get better alright?"

"Of course." I answer joyfully. "Thanks for being worried."

"No prob. Oh! You may not care, but a rumor has been spreading that there's a couple rookies coming to the branch in a couple of weeks."

"Rookies? Where are they coming from?" I ask the informative Kota.

"One from our _lovely_ branch. And the other from the frozen hell of mother Russia." Kota says the last phrase with the stereotypical _Russian_ accent.

"Russia…" I mutter the words that echo the name Alisa in my head. I wonder how she's doing. Kota looked worried and ended my trance by saying goodbye and leave me in this white room.

-Entrance-

**Kanon POV**

Well that mission was easy. Still did a lot of misfires though…

'_Hah...why can't I be better at this?"_ I thought as I head to Hibari for news.

"Hey Hibari any news?" I ask.

"If you're talking about our new redhead he's in the infirmary for reasons I don't even know. But you can see him if you want." The redheaded operator says mischievously.

"What? Injured already?"

"No…just something that led him to go to the infirmary." Hibari replies. "You're awfully worried for our rookie aren't ya. Don't want a scratch on that pretty face Hm?

"W-what are you getting at?" I stuttered. "I don't know what you mean at all!" I say as I avert my gaze. "He's a cutie I'll admit, but I don't like him."

"Uhuh…keep **COUGHtalkingnonsenseyouknowisalieCOUGH**"

"You…okay Hibari?" I ask the suddenly ill-stricken operator who hunches over the counter.

"Y-yeah…fine. Go see him if you want." She says as she waves her hand away to make me leave. With nothing else to do, I hurriedly go to the infirmary to check up on Sora.

-Infirmary-

And what is shown before me are an energetic Sora and a defeated Licca. Defeated because both of them were playing chess and Sora was the victor. Hibari was right. There's no reason he should be here at all.

"Oh Kanon! Hi how you doing?" Sora asks from his bed. Licca stares at me with a tender malice radiating from her.

"Oh nothing. I just came to check on you because you know…it's your second day here, and a rookie. I **THOUGHT **you were deeply injured." I respond with slight irritation.

"I wished it was. It was a waste to keep me here for no reason at all." He says nonchalantly.

"Well you two are in deep conversation. I'll take my leave. Bye Sora!" Licca leaves without waiting for a goodbye.

"Is this about your nightmare?" He couldn't respond at all. His energy left him and not a muscle dare move from his body. "N-not at all… What makes you think that?"

"You're a terrible liar Sora." I flatly say. "Really, the sudden silence was all I needed to know my answer was right." The fearful Sora took interest to the floor, but I forced him to look me in he eyes.

"Tell me. What happened in that dream? Let me help you get over this." I pleadingly ask to the silent redhead. He opened his mouth, but he immediately shut it. His gaze prioritized everything else but me. Each millimeter his pupils got closer to staring into mine, his body shook fiercely, but I managed to keep him steady.

'_I should leave him be… He'll tell me when he's ready._' I thought while giving a sigh. I let go of the trembling rookie and left the room. When I got out, I meet Dr. Sakaki's piercing gaze. And I got to meet the familiar pain in my back due to Dr. Sakaki leaning uncomfortably close to me.

"Any progress?" He asks with actual hint of care.

"No. His lips were sealed shut. We won't be able to find what his nightmare's about. Tell me doctor, why did you want to immediately observe him because of the nightmare?"

"Come to my office. I'll have 1st unit come as well." He answered, and followed. It would be minutes later that the 1st unit arrives and we see our rookie's cause of dilemma.

-Dr. Sakaki's lab-

"Project Star Fall. This project works in tandem with the Managarm project. Soma, please explain the Managarm project." Soma grunts in reluctance.

"The Managarm project deals with embedding the prototype P73 Bias Factor into a human baby while it's inside the mother. This way, injections of the bias factor isn't needed to regulate the oracle cells of a God Arc anymore. However the test failed. Leaving me to be the basis of God Arc technology. Due to the experiment, I can produce my own bias factor, and I have increased strength, rapid healing etc." He immediately sits down after explaining.

"Thank you, Soma. Now Star Fall is a project to turn God Eaters into aragami and return to a human state on command." Everyone including me, but Dr. Sakaki was shocked to say the least. Soma was surprised the most as he stood up with a very audible "What?!".

"How's that possible?" Sakuya wavered while asking. Dr. Sakaki gave a very long pause that let the message sink in.

"Back when the aragami were still capable of being hurt by conventional weapons, there was one aragami that stood out as nothing more than threatening. This aragami is the triple-S rare aragami: Marduk, the original Vajra that controlled flames instead of lightning." An image of a wolf-like aragami in white was on the screen. It had bulky front legs and thin hind legs.

"So let me guess, …Marduk's core was somehow extracted and beaten down into separate cells and implanted into Sora after the bias factor injection. And the only reason he's not going on a rampage is because of the bias factor." Lindow states out of the blue.

"You're exactly correct."

"But…how can that be. The Managarm project was a failure. Sakaki! How did idiots get their hand on the P73 bias factor?" Soma angrily acts while slamming his fist on the wall.

"Some people are too stubborn, Soma. That's all I can answer." Dr. Sakaki replies in a low voice.

There was one thing I needed to know, and I ask, "How do you know Sora is the child born from this project?" Everyone nodded in agreement. "If anything the nightmare might be his fear of death." I continue to assume. I didn't want to accept all of the information at all.

"You want confirmation? Here it is." Dr. Sakaki says while pointing to the screen. It had an image of a wolf eating a slanted star. "That is your confirmation because that image is what was adorned on the manila folder that started the project. And Sora wore a necklace with the same image. I'm showing you now." He answers calmly knowing I still deny it all.

"Maybe he found it off the street…" I suggest. Dr. Sakaki pulls out a piece of paper and read aloud.

"Sora's past is unknown and the only thing linking him to his unknown parents is a necklace bearing a wolf devouring a slanted star."

The news stunned me. The final piece to confirm that he's…a lab rat is now echoing in my mind. Denial got me nowhere but towards the truth. I look at the floor in defeat.

"So now that we've figured out that it's him, how did he not transform? After all these years…there should have been one event where he got out of control." Sakuya asks. But only silence engulfed the room.

"Do you remember the time the wall broke ten years ago and the sudden fires inside the city?" Dr. Sakaki asks. Everyone nodded.

"Witness accounts could only describe the event, but when the aragami were deep inside the city, a tower of flames started that warded off the approaching aragami. But the fires did not stop some of the larger aragami. A Sariel hovers over the flames, and attacks fleeing citizen. One of the fleeing citizens was Mrs. Satonaka. And here is the interesting part. After Mrs. Satonaka is hit, what some of the people called an answered prayer, a white aragami attacked the Sariel. To be more specific, Marduk appeared. It defeated the beautiful, blue aragami and other aragami surrounding it. However, as fast as it appeared, it immediately disappeared." And once again silence for the umpteenth time hovers in the room.

"It's time to end this study group. Soma, Eric, it's about time for you to leave for sortie right?" The two Gods Eaters in question nodded and left. "Sakuya, check on the boy to see if he's ready for his mission with the two." Dr. Sakaki commanded.

"Is that wise after what happened." Sakuya asks knowing that it's risky.

"Nothing leaves a man more insane than sitting in one place doing nothing." Was Dr. Sakaki's reply. Sakuya nods and follows the order. She immediately returns saying he's fine.

"Good. Let him go."

-Sunken Grid-

**Soma POV**

**1500 hours**

'_What did he mean, "Some people are too stubborn"?' _I continued to ask the question repeatedly. '_Don't tell me it's that SOB father of mine.' _I eventually gave up and asked Eric.

"I wouldn't know. I'm here to protect our magnificent species, but now we're to magnificently teach the rookie teamwork." The affluent Eric states.

The sound of a helicopter brings us back to reality, as it's rapid thunderous noise echoes across the plant. We look at the arrival point awaiting the rookie's arrival. And when he does show up, Eric dashes to his side and talk to him about whatever. I look aragami because the helicopter would attract aragami to our area. I look over to the hole near the two, and I see an Ogretail ready to pounce Eric.

"Eric, above you!" I yell in vain as he already about to be eaten.

**Sora POV**

The distant Gods Eater's warning did not go unheard as Eric and I stare at a falling shadow. My reflexes kicked in high gear, and I pushed Eric to the side. While I pushed Eric, I planted my left foot in a stance where I won't fall from a heavy body. And with this stance, I slash at the beast, but the blade dug into its body. To make this interesting, I gave my all into the swing, and launched it at Soma.

"Crush it!" I yell to the senior Gods Eater. He follows through and brings his heavy blade down in one, powerful slash. The white beast falls to the sheer force applied to its body. When the aragami is confirmed to be dead, the hooded warrior approaches me.

"Welcome to this god-awful workplace. I'm Soma. Not that you need to remember that." The newly introduced Soma greets me with grunt. Eric stands up and approaches me once again.

"Sorry for pushing so hard, Vogelweid-sama." I say with a bow. Eric was one of the wealthy families in the city, but I didn't think he would work as a Gods Eater, unlike most wealthy families.

"It's not needed rookie. A thanks is more appropriate here than an apology." Eric says with a wave of a hand to dismiss any more discussion. "Plus we have work to do. Ready rookie?"

"Of course." I reply eagerly. '_I won't become like that thing. I'll make sure of that._' And after that, several bloodcurdling roars can be heard behind Soma. Cocoon Maidens and Orgetails appeared out nowhere. Hunger was written on their faces.

"Commencing mission!" I say to my teammates. I rush in front of Soma. "Give me your best homerun swing now!" I order. He hesitated for a bit, but he swung while showing the flat of his sword. I jump and meet Soma's powerful swing with my legs. At the peak of the swing I use the force of the swing to spring myself over to the farthest Maiden, who had the most tactical advantage to strike with its lasers.

The Maiden attacks with its spikes, but I was more than out of range. I use my shield to smash into it. One: it was stunned, but two: his friend chose to attack me, three: I couldn't react in time as I was pushed off the platform I was currently on. The pain stung, but it disappeared immediately. I headed towards the platform once again, and the Maiden stood waiting patiently for me.

"Soma! Eric! I'll take on the Maidens. You guys take the Ogres." I say to the busy warriors.

"Kinda late on that plan rookie!" Soma growled. "But please do. I'm sick of unexpected lasers attacking me."

"Will do." I reply while slashing at the Maiden in front of me. It was helpless under my merciless assault, and slowly but surely, it dissolves into a black pool of inactive Oracle Cells. I stare at the other Maiden while thinking to myself '_You're next on my hit list_.' I gave a vivacious and determined dash to it to prevent it from attacking either Eric or Soma.

I come down spinning with a heavy swing of my God Arc, and it hit the Maiden dead on. But from what I remember of what Tatsumi taught me: "We can't give a finishing blow even with an anti-aragami weapon." And sure enough the Maiden stands showing its spikes in retaliation. I couldn't block in time and I was delivered a critical hit. Several spikes impaled themselves on my shoulder, thigh, chest, and forearm, but none hit deep enough to kill me. I couldn't move. I struggle, but the spikes hinder any sort of movement at all. Blood dripped down my body following my shape.

"Rookie! Hang in there." Eric yelled as he shot mortars at the Maiden. Yet the Maiden ignores Eric and chooses to focus on me instead. It looks down and exposes its head, where its laser attacks come from.

'_Am I going to die this easily?_' I cough up blood. '_NO! Not a damn chance._'

"Give all you got!" I say in retaliation. It shot its laser.

-Russia branch Training room-

**Alisa POV**

A shudder. Something happened, but I can't explain what it is. But the feeling reminded me of my promise to a redhead.

"Sora…please be safe…please." I mutter while brandishing my armlet.

"Amiella. Go to the training room ASAP."

"Understood." I comply with a nod and sprint to the training room.

**Soma POV**

"Rookie!" I shout to the unresponsive Gods Eater. His body laid flat showing the holes he was impaled in, as well as the hole on his forehead. No… '_Dammit! I thought my curse was gone, but it wanted to play tricks on me. Taking a rookie away from a promising life… Is this where you get your sick kicks God?_'

"Soma! We have to clean up first if we want to get Sora's body." Eric suggested. I didn't mind. My mind raced faster and faster, but my mind wasn't on the battle, but on the fallen rookie. When we finished up. We quickly hurried to the rookie's body. Oddly, his body was warm. Actually more than warm, it was burning.

Eric receives a transmission from Hibari warning us of an emergency: two Vajras are approaching and ordered for a retreat.

"Takeda-san, the rookie is dead." Eric says as if he was wounded by the news. Hibari could only give an audible shock.

"How's that possible? The screen says Sora is living on a thread of health." She says. That certainly got my attention. But that must be a malfunction because Sora took a laser to the head.

"Nevermind that, a helicopter is picking you up. Hurry to the LZ now!" Hibari orders in panic. We comply and hurry to the LZ. I carried Sora's burning hot body, and left his God Arc for retrieval later. Minutes later, a Fenrir helicopter lands right in front of us. I look back to see the sprinting Vajras and their thundering footsteps. Suddenly…Sora's body became magma hot, and I let him go due to the unbearable heat.

"What are you doing Soma?! Hurry up!" Eric and the pilots shout at me. But they suddenly see what I see: cowering Vajras and a certain rookie's burning right arm.

"Soma, get in!" Eric commands, which I have no qualms of complying. The helicopter ascends above the plant and hovers to see what will happen. The once unmoving body that is Sora's body became erratic and lively. His body stands up, and after he stands up, a tower of crimson flames that reached higher than helicopter emerged.

"**RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGH!**" The shout removes the flames to show a more feral Sora and a flaming aragami-like arm. He was on all fours like he was an animal.

"Hibari…you seeing this?" I ask our operator. Static and silence replaced what would be an answer.

"Y-yeah… Am I seeing this right? In my screen there's a very strong aragami signal right on top of Sora. And from the camera feed on the helicopter, the aragami is…Sora." Utter shock and fear was all over the operator's words. I can't bring her any comfort to such news. As the beast taking Sora's body starts to attack the Vajras with overwhelming force.

'_Can he even control the beast? Is this pure instinct? Sora… Get yourself together!_'

"**RAAAAAAAGH!"**

_**That's it for this chapter. Next chapter will have a fully transformed Sora. Please review… I'm losing confidence in my first fic. Positive or negative feedback is welcome. Make it as constructive as possible, but I'm not rejecting "good chapter" or "bad."**_


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